Rape Of Indian Nun Incites Kolkata Protest As Thousands Of Demonstrators Fight Against Sexual Violence In The Country

Concerns about rape in India have been mounting recently, as protesters express outrage over the lack of prevention and prosecution of sexual attacks. And though there is increased awareness of rape in India's social consciousness, the assaults have yet to stop. A particularly heinous crime occurred this weekend in West Bengal, in which an elderly nun was raped by multiple men. On Monday, thousands participated in a march to protest rape in India after the weekend's gang rape brought a national problem of sexual assault back to the forefront.

On Saturday, a group of six to eight robbers struck a Christian missionary school, the Convent of Jesus and Mary School, in the Nadia district of eastern India, 80 kilometers northeast of Kolkata. According to Fox News, the bandits tied up the school's security guards with ropes early in the morning and then entered the nuns' room, where the women were asleep. When one nun attempted to set off an alarm and block the robbers' way, they took her to another room and raped her. Sources say she, along with two other others, were tied up. The nun who was attacked, whose age has been reported to be from 71 to 76 years old, is the oldest in the convent.

Outrage has spread throughout the country after this attack. Government agencies have condemned the violence and promised to carry out justice on the perpetrators. Archbishop Thomas D'Souza of Kolkata said:

We will identify the accused as we have the CCTV footage stored with the convent. The guilty must be punished. Such incidents have never happened in the history of our state.

No matter where the culprits are, strongest action will be taken against them. We are fully committed to that. We have sent our team for investigation with all necessary equipment and will catch the culprits soon. People who commit such crimes are not humans. Our sentiments are with the victim, who is like our mother. The culprits are a disgrace to the society.

On Monday, as students and civilians gathered to protest the rape, Banerjee travelled to Ranaghat to visit the nun in the hospital. After visiting the victim, who is in serious condition and has already undergone surgery for her injuries, Banerjee said:

The sister is doing well. Some arrests have been made but we are looking for the mastermind. The borders are being monitored and if they have gone to other states, we will make arrangements to catch them.

We feel we have come out in solidarity with the sisters in Ranaghat. We belong to a Catholic church, and we are brothers and sisters. When something like this happens, we come together, we mourn, we are pained. This is not the way to take revenge if they have any differences in opinion. This is not the way to act upon. We feel very pained about this brutality that is committed.

Students marching held signs that said, "We want justice — arrest the rapist," "No political flag! Just humanity!," and "Save women, save India." The march included protesters of all faiths. Students lit candles, sang hymns, and recited prayers, though the protest was largely silent.

Many protesters felt that Christians in India are particularly vulnerable to attack. Father Savari Muthu, spokesman for the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, told NBC News:

We have to raise our voice against the atrocities. Christians will not tolerate this humiliation.